Cops ask SC’s Greene to leave restaurant meeting

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Longshot U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene was kicked out of a South Carolina restaurant after police say a woman accompanying him got into a fight with county Democratic Party members holding a meeting there, police said Tuesday.

Oconee County Democratic Party officials asked Greene, 32, to speak at their monthly meeting Saturday at Jimmy’s Restaurant in Seneca. But that invitation was rescinded after the unemployed military veteran was indicted Aug. 13 on a felony charge of showing pornography to a college student.

On Tuesday, Seneca Police Chief John Covington said that Greene showed up at the meeting anyway and a woman with him got into an argument with people at the restaurant.

Party officials called police, who say the owner of the restaurant kicked out the pair and ended the party’s meeting. No charges were filed, and police say no tickets were issued. According to a police report, the woman who arrived with Greene, Dottie Sue Maggart-Feldman, also accused county party chairwoman Marilyn Hemingway of “being out to get her” but did not elaborate.

A working number for Maggart-Feldman could not be found Tuesday. Greene and Hemingway did not immediately return phone messages. Invitations like the one from the Oconee County Democrats have slowly trickled in to Greene, who did no visible campaigning before his surprise victory in the June 8 primary over a more well-known candidate, former state lawmaker Vic Rawl.

Last month, Greene gave his first public speech, a 6 1/2-minute recitation of his previous comments and commitment to jobs and education. The day before his indictment, Greene gave brief remarks to the executive committee of the state Democratic Party and asked them to support his campaign.

On Sunday, he accepted an invitation to play golf with a supporter in Myrtle Beach. Greene’s arrest in November was first reported by The Associated Press the day after he won the nomination.

Authorities say Greene approached a student in a University of South Carolina computer lab, showed her obscene photos online, then talked about going to her dorm room.

Earlier this month, Greene was indicted for disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity, a felony, as well as a misdemeanor charge of communicating obscene materials to a person without consent.

If convicted, Greene could face up to three years in prison for the misdemeanor or up to five years for the felony. No hearings have been scheduled. After AP reported Greene’s arrest, South Carolina Democratic Party leaders called on him to withdraw his candidacy, but Greene says he’s staying in the race.

Earlier this summer, the state party upheld his nomination, denying a challenge filed by Rawl alleging voting abnormalities. State police also cleared Greene of any impropriety involving his $10,440 filing fee. Greene has said he saved up his military pay for two years, a claim police said was backed up by his bank records.

Greene faces U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and Green Party candidate Tom Clements in the November election. Greene says he has raised about $1,000.

DeMint had more than $3.5 million on hand after his last filing in July, and Clements says he has raised about $5,000.